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Noble Titles
Noble titles in the Phoenix Empire sound like a terribly confusing mess, but are actually a very strictly sorted and simple system of hierarchic ranks. Sovereign titles So even though there is a slew of titles in the Empire, the political power runs in a clear and short line: Emperor > Duke > Count > Baron > Baronet > Knight Those are the ‘sovereign’ titles, the ones that confer rulership over a certain domain if the title is connected to a piece of real estate. All sovereign titles are bound together by oaths of fealty that gather upwards and end in the Phoenix Emperor. Historically, there were Kings between the Emperor and the Dukes, but during the Age of Feuding Houses this title has fallen out of use as it seemed either petty or preposterous. There is a long going discussion if Knights are sovereign titles or not, as they are rarely connected to domains and also rarely are heritable titles. For the use of this wiki, they are assumed to be sovereign titles, though, as a Knight who does hold a piece of land holds full sovereignty therein. Domains The sovereign titles are the ones that hold power if connected to a piece of real estate, called a domain. The size of a domain is roughly proportionate with a noble’s title, and is approximately sorted like this: Emperor > Duke > Count > Baron > Baronet > Knight Empire > Duchy > County > Barony > Baronetcy > Estate Empire > Planet > Continent > Country > Region > Town or Castle Often, Nobles attach the name of their domain to their title in full style. If they attach a domain to their given name, though, it can be the domain of their birth and unrelated to their actual holdings. Derived titles Unlike the sovereign titles, derived titles do not hold any direct legal or political powers. They are conferred to someone by being related to or employed by someone holding a sovereign title. Arch-whatever Someone passing on a sovereign title becomes the ‘Arch-version’ of that title. This applies both to the proper titleholder who abdicates as well as a titleholders spouse who passes on the rulership to their mutual heir. Prince / Princess Everyone in the immediate line of succession for a title of the High Nobility (everything that addresses with ‘Highness’) who does not hold a title of their own, can claim the title of Prince or Princess. This is primarily meant to include the children of a titleholder, but can include other brethren and their children. It is safe to assume that #1 to #10 of any line of succession could insist on being called a Prince. The heads of the Royal Houses also style themselves Prince as a reminder that they are potentially in line to inherit the Imperial throne. Squire Basically, a Squire is a Knight in training and always pledged to a Knight. It is theoretically possible for a higher-ranking noble to have a Squire attached to them, but that would look like selling themselves low. A Squire is NOT a title exclusive to the nobility, so there could theoretically be a slave squire to a noble Knight. Addressing a Noble The full style is only used when being first introduced. In full style, the sovereign titles are addressed as follows (names and domains are given as examples): *His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Gregorius of the Phoenix Empire *His Royal (Ducal, Serene) Highness, Mel Ohm Dracon, the Duke of Malicorn *Her Illustrious Highness, Agneta, the Countess of Yslain *His Lordship, Baron Yuri of Serin *His Lordship, Baronet Gallyd *Lady Layla, Knight of Isphahan After that, Your Highness, Lord or Lady for all sovereign titles is always a safe bet, with Sir or Lady for a Knight. It is important to note that Milord, Milady and Sire are only appropriate if addressing the noble one is actually the subject of. Alternate Names of Titles Due to the deep reaching cultural differences, each Noble House and planet can have alternate names for a title, but they are just stylistic differences, not political ones. A Dracon Baronet, a Habichtswald Freiherr and a Jehanni Sharif are basically the same. Following is a list of alternates; if the alternate carries a cultural distinction, its root is given in brackets. Duke Marquis (Shirazan Habichtswald), Emir (the Medina), Herzog (Habichtswald), Thain (Coron) Count Earl (Habichtswald, Cournicova), Jarl (Coron), Graf (Habichtswald) Baron Viscount, Land- or Markgrave (Habichtswald) Baronet Freiherr (Habichtswald), Sharif (the Medina) Knight - Lord / Lady / Sir Don / Donna (Andragor/Castella) Prince / Princess Dauphin (Shirazan Habichtswald, for use of first in line), Infanta (Andragor/Castella for use of first in line) Spousal titles Sovereign nobles marrying extend their title to their spouses. Marrying a Duke makes you a Duchess, and theoretically both titles are equal in most Houses. Thereforel, it is vital for a stranger to be able to figure out who is the real power on the throne. Usually, each Noble House has a standard way of sorting this out – Cournicova women always hold the higher power (even if they are the ones marrying up), Castella confer the higher title to the one literally wearing the pants and with Dracon and van der Meer, it’s safe to assume that the one speaking is the boss, at least for now. Jehanni women are considered slaves towards their husbands in legal matters. Derived titles are not conferred through marriage directly. As the old heteronormative marriages more and more become a thing of the past, a same-sex spouse can take either the same or opposing title of their partner (See Phoenix Empress). It remains to be seem which version will prevail. Multiple titles Of course, a noble can hold multiple titles, though it can only be one title per domain at any time. Assuming Princess Esme Eder of Waldeck marries Count Eduardo Castella of Zargoza, she will be Countess Esme Castella of Zargoza, Princess of Waldeck. She is not Princess of Zargoza even though she is first in line to inherit the title, because Countess is a title in her own right and tops the one of Princess. Neither does she become Countess of Waldeck, as the titles are anchored to their domains and Waldeck does not become a county just because the Lord’s daughter marries a Count. Nor does Eduardo become a Prince (he already holds a sovereign title) or can attach anything ‘of Waldeck’ to his name as he was not born there and his wife only held a derived title. Category:Legalities Category:Titles